Stories that linger.
Histories that edure.

Discover stories where buried histories, family secrets, and the shadows of the past refuse to stay forgotten.

The Hartwell Saga Begins...

The Bones of Blackwater

She never expected the truth to
lie so close to home...

When archaeologist Nora Hale uncovers the remains of a child beneath a threatened historic property, the discovery draws her into a mystery that began in 1873—and a family history more closely connected to her own than she realizes.

“Compelling, haunting, and impossible to put down. Rebecca’s writing is richly detailed, deeply affecting, and completely immersive.”
— Morgaine B.
“The setting felt vivid and alive, the dual timeline was handled beautifully, and I was equally invested in both storylines. A richly layered, immersive novel that pulls you completely into its world.”
— Amazon Customer
“Compelling, immersive, and so chilling that one revealing scene gave me a physical shiver—a reaction I’ve never had while reading before.”
— Rose P.
“Fast-paced, hard to put down, and deeply satisfying—a compelling mystery that asks how much of history is truth, and how many stories remain buried and untold.”
— Hannah O.
“Beautifully detailed and completely immersive, with a compelling story and authentic, believable characters.”
— Laura B.
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Life Inside the Factories

Step inside the real worlds that inspired The Bones of Blackwater. Explore nineteenth-century factories, child labor, industrial conditions, and the realities that shaped Blackwater Bootworks.

Although the featured video focuses on British textile mills, many of the same systems of exploitation, dangerous working conditions, and abuses were present in American factories—and remain realities for workers in parts of the world today.

Meet the characters of
The Bones of Blackwater and choose your favorite bookmark.

Each design features a character from the novel, along with artwork and details inspired by the books.

Meet Rebecca.

I write stories where history leaves fingerprints, secrets linger, and ordinary people are forced to confront what others tried to bury. Through The Hartwell Saga (and the darker paths of The Shadow Series), I explore memory, inheritance, and the truths that refuse to disappear.

Where To Buy

Also available locally at Black Dog Books in Lafayette, NJ.

Some books will haunt you—
in the best way.

Meet the Characters of Book One...

“The setting felt vivid and alive, the dual timeline was handled beautifully, and I was equally invested in both storylines. A richly layered, immersive novel that pulls you completely into its world.”

—Amazon Customer

With each story, I hope to
challenge your understanding of history,
stretch your idea of family,
and leave you asking,
"What are MY inherited truths?"

“Compelling, haunting, and impossible to put down. Rebecca’s writing is richly detailed, deeply affecting, and completely immersive.”

—Morgaine B.

FAQs

If you don't see the answer to your question here, feel free to email me!

Begin with The Bones of Blackwater, the first novel in The Hartwell Saga. Each book uncovers another chapter of Hartwell’s buried history while continuing Nora Hale’s present-day story.
The Hartwell Saga is the primary series of historical mysteries following archaeologist Nora Hale as she investigates discoveries connected to the hidden history of Hartwell, New Jersey. Each novel combines a present-day investigation with a historical timeline that reveals what truly happened.
The Shadow Series presents darker parallel versions of the Hartwell stories. Each book revisits familiar characters, settings, and mysteries while exploring how altered choices, motives, and outcomes can lead the same story down a very different path.
Next is The Shadow Bones of Blackwater, the first book in The Shadow Series. After that, Nora Hale returns in The Children of St. Agatha’s, the second novel in The Hartwell Saga, followed by its darker parallel, The Shadow Children of St. Agatha’s.
The current reading order is: The Bones of Blackwater, The Shadow Bones of Blackwater, The Children of St. Agatha’s, and The Shadow Children of St. Agatha’s. The main Hartwell books and their Shadow counterparts are designed to speak to one another, so reading them in publication order is recommended.
The Bones of Blackwater is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook editions.
The Bones of Blackwater is written for an adult audience. It includes mature themes, including violence, death, exploitation, and disturbing historical circumstances, but the story is not graphic or explicit and contains no profanity. I tend to walk readers up to the door rather than open it—what happens is often understood without being described in detail, leaving readers room to imagine only as much as they choose.
Signed copies are available directly through my online shop and at select author appearances and book events. They are also available locally at Black Dog Books in Lafayette, New Jersey, while supplies last.
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In the Works . . .

The Shadow
Bones of Blackwater

Book One of the Shadow Series

Think you know the story?
The Shadow Bones of Blackwater pulls back the veil on the hidden truths, buried motives, and dangerous choices that shaped everything you thought you knew.

Every story has a shadow.
This is where it began.

Also Lurking in the Hartwell Files . . .

The Children of
St. Agatha's

A centuries-old refuge for orphans and unwed mothers. A sudden transformation into a luxury 1920s resort. Former residents who seem to vanish. And a history someone tried to rewrite.

& The Shadow Children of St. Agatha's

The Sins of Summerland

A secret camp. An unexplained death. A community divided as World War II closes in. A family connection Nora’s father denies knowing. And a past no one wants to claim.

& The Shadow Sins of Summerland

The Remains of
Lake Owassa

A discovery that changed everything. A summer in 1973 that no one talks about. Decades of silence. Nora’s parents at the center of it all. And questions that run deeper than the lake.

& The Shadow Remains of
Lake Owassa

The Ruins of
Hartwell

To understand why her mother left, Nora must return to Hartwell’s very beginning—where the mysteries she has uncovered across generations finally connect, and the answers she finds are not what she ever expected.
The Final Chapter.

& The Shadow Ruins of
Hartwell

Two collections. One truth. The past is never truly past.

Rebecca A. Russell
writes historical mysteries where
the past refuses to stay buried.

Where forgotten voices find their way home.

Rebecca A. Russell writes stories in which the past is never entirely finished. Rooted in history, place, and buried memory, her work explores the fragile boundary between what is remembered, what is concealed, and what is inherited. Through dual timelines, family secrets, and mysteries that echo across generations, she invites readers to question the stories we tell about the past—and the truths that refuse to stay buried.She has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, drawn to the places where recorded history gives way to silence, rumor, and unanswered questions. Her writing is shaped by a love of old houses, local legends, forgotten cemeteries, and the fragments of ordinary lives preserved in maps, letters, artifacts, and family stories.Her characters—complicated, resilient, and deeply human—move between past and present in search of truth, often discovering that history and memory do not always agree.Away from the page, Rebecca can be found reading, watching British murder mysteries, sewing garments inspired by earlier eras, or spending time with her family.

What I'm currently reading...

A Few Things About [Me] . . .

Old houses, cemeteries, local legends, handwritten letters, and overlooked pieces of family history have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. They are often where my stories begin.
Long before I began bringing Hartwell to life on the page, I was recreating clothing from the past. I make historical garments spanning the eighteenth through twentieth centuries through BeespokeVintage.
I digitize vintage patterns from my own collection so they can be used and enjoyed by a new generation of sewists. For me, patterns are more than instructions—they are small records of ordinary lives.
My children span very different ages and stages of life, which means our family is rarely quiet and never dull. Motherhood has shaped how I think about memory, inheritance, family stories, and the histories we pass from one generation to the next.
I live with my family near an old orchard, surrounded by woods, wildlife, historic towns, and more bears than I ever expected. The landscape and local history continually find their way into the world of Hartwell.
I love following a small historical detail until it opens an entire world—a factory ledger, an old photograph, a newspaper notice, a forgotten building, or the name of someone history barely recorded.
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Check out my Historical Sewing

Check out My Vintage Patterns

Come meet me!
Live & In Print.

Follow Me on Social Media!

UPCOMING EVENTS

DateLocationEvent Type
August 22, 2026 (6-8pm)Black Dog Books, Lafayette, NJOpen Mic Night
August 29, 2026 (12-4pm)Black Dog Books, Lafayette, NJLocal Author Fair
October 24, 2026 (12-2pm)Chapter One Books, Mendham, NJLocal Author Expo

PAST EVENTS

DateLocationEvent Type
June 15, 2026Sussex NJ LL Book ClubSigning & Meet-Up
June 7, 2026Pennyrose Cafe, Newton, NJOfficial Book Launch

These events are a chance to meet, talk about the stories, ask questions, and step a little further into the world of Hartwell.

Reach Out & Say Hello

I love hearing from readers and fellow lovers of history, mystery, and a just a plain ole good story. Whether you have a question, want to share your thoughts, or simply feel like saying hello, send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

- Rebecca A. Russell